Improvement in school-desks



@ y fQLLM/L WILL-IAM A. SLAYMAKER.A

Improvement in School Desks.

No.123,796. PatentedFeb.2o,1s-72.

,; I Free.

WILLIAM A. SLAYMAKER, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SCHOOL-DESKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 123,796, dated February 20, 1872.

SPECIFICATION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, W. A. SLAYMAKER, of

Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia, have invented a new and Improved Flexible Seat for School- Desks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon.

This invention has for itsA main object the production of a desk capable of having its parts readily separated, that they may be compactly packed for transportation, the same being easily united again by an unskilled person when the destination has been reached 5 and consists incertain details of construction which will be fully described hereinafter. The invention consists further in a novel construction of the seat proper, the details of which also will be fully described.

In the drawing, Figure l represents a sectional elevation of my improved desk, the seat being represented as open, ready for use 5 Fig. 2 represents a sectional elevation of the seat and its supports, the seat being represented as closed; Fig. 3 represents a sectional elevation through the line a: a2, Fig. l; Fig. 4, a sectional elevation through the line y g/,of Fig. l 5 and Fig.`5, a plan view ofthe seat reversed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improved desk, I will now proceed to describe vfully its construction and the manner of using it.

G G represent side frames, the upper and front edges of which are provided with an inclined projection, a, formed by cutting an an nularrecess, as shown. The boards ofthe top of the desk and of the back of the seat are provided with a recess, b, slightly Wider than the frames, the inner face of which is inclinedto correspond with the projection a., by which means a shoulder is formed, against the edges ot' which the sidefralnes rest. By means of clamping-rods the side frames are caused to securely hold the Wood, as represented in Figs. 3 and 4.

It is not absolutely essential that this precise form of projection and recess be employed, as other -orms will readily present themselves.

The special advantage of this construction is, that an unbroken surfaceof wood is presented out beyond the line of the side frames.

The seat will now be described. In construction, I form my seat of cloth, or other similar ,pliable material; the cloth seat-bottoni X is attached at the rear edge to a eross-bar, A, extending from side to side of the frame- G ot' the desk; and the front edge ofthe cloth is attached to a cross-bar, C, which is fastened at each end to the ends ofthe seat-arms D D. These seat-arms are hinged at points E E, lower down on the side frames Gr of the desk, and

are provided with locks to fasten them in either j positionthat is, extended so that the seat is stretched and ready for use-as shown in Fig. l, and also folded up out ofthe way, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawing.

The construction of this lock-hingeis as follows: Each seat-arm, at its lower end, is provided with a projection, a', formed in a line with a slot, b', which slot works upon a rigid pin, c, set into or forming part of the frame Grv at the points E E.

When the seat is drawn forward for use the projection a' slips into a recess, d, prepared for it in the fra-me (1l, and thus locks the seatarm in this position, the slot b allowing the movement ofthe arm downward so as to lock it. A similar lock is made when the seat arm is thrown back, as shown in Fig. 2, when the projection a slips down in front of the projecting edge.e of the frame G, and locks the seat back. In this case the cloth seat-bottom hangs loosely down, folded together.

When it is necessary to cha-n ge the position of the seat-arms either way, it is required to lift the same slightly, so as to bring the projection c out of the cavity d, or above the edge e, when it turns readily upon the pin c. order to divide the seat, when it is intended to be occupied by two persons, I place a leather strap, o, immediately in the center c, under the seat-bottom. This strap o stretches from rear to front, being attached to or passing around the rods or bars C and A, and when the seat is in use it makes this portion of the seat less -exible, so that the occupants have each a seat more nearly supported all around, a similar strap .being generally placed at each end ofthe seat-bottom. The center strap, however, more especially divides the seat, and prevents thetendency of both occupants to slip toward the middle.

The advantages of these devices are in the Vtom X, a center strap O, arranged as described,

and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of' the side frames, the clamping-rods, and the boards of the desk, substantially as described-that is, the side frames being caused by means of the clamping-rods to grasp and hold the top and front boards upon their inner sides, so that an unbroken outward surface of the top and front is presented, extending out beyond the line of the side frames. v i

This specification, signed and witnessed this 31st day of October, 1871.

W. A. SLAYMAKER.

Witnesses:

C. C. HAuMocK, RoB'r. CRAWFORD, Noty Pub. 

